Ducks Can’t Explain Lame Showing at Home : NHL: Their 4-14-2 record in Anaheim Arena is baffling, especially since they are one of league’s strongest road teams.

Too many palm trees. Bad ice. Fear Iceman’s return. Golf courses still playable in January. Blinded by teal on uniforms. Nervous in front of jillionaire owner. Undemanding fans. Too many free trips to local amusement park. Opponents’ hatred for cutesy nickname. The Hockey News comes a week late.

Are these legitimate reasons why the Mighty Ducks continue to stink up Anaheim Arena? Or merely lame excuses why they have a 4-14-2 record in their own building?

At this point anything is possible and certainly nothing has been counted out as the Ducks struggle to win at home.

They go into tonight’s game against Hartford at Anaheim Arena with the second-worst home record in the NHL, slightly ahead of Ottawa’s 3-19-2 mark. That the Ducks were the first NHL team to win 12 road games this season further confounds players and coaches.

At home, they have defeated only Edmonton (last place in the Pacific Division), Winnipeg (last in the Central), Dallas (second in the Central) and St. Louis (tied for third in the Central).

On the road, they knocked off Toronto (first in Central with 59 points), the New York Rangers (first in the Atlantic with 57 points) and Calgary (first in the Pacific with 51 points) among others.

At home, they have lost four consecutive games and haven’t won since defeating St. Louis on Dec. 12.

On the road, they have won three straight and six in a row on Canadian ice.

At home, they have scored 153 goals and their plus-minus rating is a minus 18.

On the road, they have scored 164 goals and are a plus one.

At home, leading scorer Bob Corkum has six goals and four assists and is minus seven.

On the road, Corkum has seven goals and 15 assists and is plus seven.

At home, their penalty killing is 17th-ranked at 81.3%.

On the road, they’re fourth-ranked at 85.1%.

They go into tonight’s game with a 17-26-2 record, trail the third-place Kings by two points and are still only three points out of a playoff berth.

Where would they be if they could play a lick at home?

Their home woes have been the biggest stumbling block in what has otherwise been a surprising first season. But it’s difficult to win over an audience that sees one team on the road on TV and another in person at Anaheim Arena.

The question lingers: Why?

The most logical explanation rests in the breakdown of the Ducks’ style of play on home ice. For some reason, they aren’t as patient or disciplined when it comes to following Coach Ron Wilson’s grinding, defensive-oriented game plan.

That’s clearly reflected in the team’s dismal plus-minus rating at home.

“Most home teams try to impress their crowd and they try too hard,” Wilson said after the Ducks shut out the New York Islanders, 3-0, at Uniondale, N.Y., Dec. 28. “They open things up and they take too many risky chances.

“If we can just bring this road game home and be a little more patient in front of the home crowd, then we have an outside chance at making the playoffs if we continue to play this well on the road.”

Speaking for the players, Corkum said their focus often strays when they’re home.

“I think subconsciously you think you have to work harder on the road,” Corkum said. “At home, anybody who has a family is thinking about them or maybe thinking about what they’re going to do on their day off. We all make an assumption that it’s going to be easier at home.”

When home is sunny Southern California, where the high in Anaheim before Wednesday’s game against San Jose was 76, it becomes doubly tough.

There is an old notion that hockey players have a difficult time focusing on the game when the only ice they see away from the rink is in their drinks.

This theory was often heard in the days before Wayne Gretzky’s arrival in L.A.

When home is, say, Hartford, where the high was 30 with light snow, it’s easier to get into the mood.

Certainly, the Ducks seem to undergo a strange transformation when they leave the state.

Their California record is 4-17-2, including two losses at San Jose and one at the Forum. But they are 12-9-0 in games outside the state.

“We’ve had some big wins on the road,” said Garry Valk, a former Vancouver Canuck. “In Vancouver, I don’t think we ever beat the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. We beat Chicago on the road. Toronto. We’ve had some memorable wins on the road this year.”

He knows the team plays differently at home.

“I don’t think we’ve really carried out our game plan at home,” he said. “We can’t give the puck away in our own zone. We’ve lost some close games there because we’ve made some dumb mistakes.”

So much for the reasons why the Ducks falter at home.

How about some solutions?

The players met to discuss the situation after a 5-2 loss to San Jose on Wednesday.

If there was a consensus solution, team captain Troy Loney wasn’t saying.

Would they go so far as to wear their visiting uniforms tonight against Hartford in an effort to simulate a road atmosphere?

At least that might be a start.

Sticking to the defensive style that has won them so many road games wouldn’t hurt.

“On the road, we seem to be a little more patient offensively and sometimes when you’re patient you get better (scoring) chances,” Wilson said.

Said Corkum: “We all have to take it upon ourselves to work harder as individuals.”

Said Valk: “We need to take more of a road attitude.”

And this from Terry Yake: “I’ve tried to make excuses before and I’m tired of it right now.”

Times staff writer Robyn Norwood contributed to this story.